The Right Food, The Right Way: HRT and Diet

At Allure Medical, we frequently have to remind our amazing patients that age isn’t something that can be stopped, but it is something that can be slowed. In fact, it’s something that can be slowed in a BIG way if you’re willing to invest a little bit of time to change your lifestyle and you proactive enough to invest in hormone replacement therapy like this. One of the most important ways you can change your lifestyle to slow the impact of aging and improve the effectiveness of hormone replacement therapy is by improving your diet.

Of course, everyone tries their hardest to have a healthy diet, but when you’re going through hormone replacement therapy, eating the right foods the right way is of the utmost importance. So, what is the right diet and what is the right way? Well, we’re here to tell you in today’s blog.

The right diet

When you’re undergoing hormone replacement therapy, your diet needs to be balanced above all—you don’t want to be eating an excess of any one thing, be it a protein, vitamin, mineral, etc.

About half of your diet should consist of fresh, organic produce (seasonal vegetables and fruits), with another 25% coming from unprocessed whole grains (quinoa, bulger, barley, etc.), and another 25% coming from all-natural, unprocessed proteins like line-caught salmon, grass-fed beef, and free-range chicken.

You should also make a habit of eating unprocessed nuts (raw almonds, walnuts, etc.) and legumes (kidney beans, black beans, etc.).

Make sure to avoid sources of simple carbohydrates as you eat your fruits and veggies (pasta, couscous, chips, deep fried potatoes etc.), because they can contribute to high blood sugar and insulin spikes that put extra stress on the body—and stress is something you don’t need whine you’re undergoing hormone replacement therapy.

But most importantly—more important than eating the right foods in the right quantities or getting enough fiber—you need to make sure that you’re eliminating caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol from your diet as much as possible. These three, powerful substances and wreak havoc on your body over time and make it impossibly difficult to get your hormones in proper balance.

The right way

Eating the right way means avoiding foods that are fried (like fried chicken and fried zucchini), avoiding foods that are loaded with salt (like beef jerky and deli meats), and avoiding foods that come in boxes and jars, no matter how “healthy” they promise to be. It means steaming your vegetables instead of sautéing them, and baking or roasting your meats instead of grilling them.

**Do not cook with added sugar.

**Do not cook with added salt.

**Do not cook with any oils other than extra virgin olive oil.

If you can start cooking like that—the right way—you’ll make it easier for your body to respond positively hormone replacement therapy.

Curious to learn more?

If you want to know more about diet and lifestyle changes that can help you make the most of your endeavor into hormone replacement therapy, do some light reading by keeping up with our resources at Allure Medical.